The Loran Scholarship is one of the most rewarding and prestigious scholarships in Canada. Tenable at 25 partner universities, the Loran Award is valued at $100,000 over four years; including mentorship, funding for summer internships, and participation in an extensive network of past and present scholars.

Loran believes that integrity, courage, grit and personal autonomy are better indicators of overall potential than standard academic measures. Given this belief, Loran administers the most comprehensive and thorough scholarship selection process in Canada; including an extensive interviewing stage.

Want insight on becoming a Loran Scholar, and learn what you can expect from Loran Scholarship interviews? Then keep on reading!

What does the Loran Scholarship offer?

Renewable for up to four years, with a total value of $100,000, each Loran Award includes:

• An annual stipend of $10,000
• A matching tuition waiver from one of 25 partner universities
• Personal mentorship from a Canadian leader
• Access to their network and up to $14,000 in funding for summer work experiences in three different sectors
• An orientation expedition through Algonquin Park
• Annual retreats and scholar gatherings

They also grant up to 118 finalist and provincial awards to promising candidates who are not selected as Loran Scholars. Read more about their different awards here.

How do you apply?

The Loran Scholarship application process takes place annually in September/October. After submitting a supplementary evaluation, shortlisted candidates are notified at least two weeks before their semi-final interview date.

The Loran committees review all applications and invite shortlisted candidates (semi-finalists) to attend online interviews. These interviews are an opportunity for semi-finalists to connect with one another, meet the local leaders who serve as Loran interviewers and gain valuable interview experiences.

Semi-final interviews will take place from mid-November to mid-December. Candidates selected for semi-final interviews will be contacted at least 2 weeks in advance of their interview date.

After semi-final interviews, the committees invite outstanding semi-finalists to participate in their national interviews. The committees also grant provincial & territorial awards ($2,000 each) and honour citations to semi-finalists who distinguish themselves at the semi-final level.

Loran Scholarship Supplementary Application and Essay Questions

For this scholarship, you may be expected to include a list of the following in your supplementary application:

• Your volunteer hour commitments and the community involvement efforts you have made throughout high school.
• Your part-time job or any work experience.
• Your extracurricular activities, inside and outside of school.
• Your grades and academic achievements.

Make sure that you cover a wide area of efforts you were/are involved in; the more diverse activities you include, the more well-rounded you will appear to the committee! Also, it is wise to ensure that your volunteering experience covers a balance of personal or independently run projects, as well as community or province-wide projects.

For the essay questions of the supplementary application, it is likely that you will be asked about which of your community efforts had the most impact on your community, as well as a time when your efforts didn’t go as planned, and how you handled the situation or how you learned from it. Make sure to be genuine with your answers — try to avoid cliches, and don’t write what you think the committee wants to hear; be yourself, and be passionate!

Loran Scholarship Interview Questions

For the Loran Scholarship Interview process, the questions you will have to answer will vary based on the interviewer you have.

Some sample questions you might be asked include:

• “How do you find a work/school/life balance with your schedule?”
• “Why did you choose to work with your volunteer organization?”
• “What are you passionate about?”
• “Tell me more about your ______ experience.”
• “What experience has impacted your life the most? Why?”
• “How do you deal with failure?”
• “Who do you look up to, or who inspires you?”

Each interviewer will ask you a question surrounding a topic or experience from your supplemental application that they are specifically interested in. So, prepare in advance! You should know your supplemental application from front to back, and be ready to expand on the experiences you wrote about!

Want to heighten your chances of winning the Loran Scholarship?

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